Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics’ roundup of news from the third branch of government.

A San Miguel County judge is on suspension pending a misconduct investigation, plus a Colorado Supreme Court committee advanced a rule change designed to benefit some tenants responding to their evictions.

Judicial discipline

•  San Miguel County Court Judge Sean K. Murphy is suspended and facing a discipline investigation for an array of alleged misconduct. Among other things, Murphy has not responded to disciplinary officials’ allegations, has delayed issuing rulings in multiple cases to the detriment of the parties, and reportedly engaged in bizarre conduct. For example, a half-naked man allegedly walked behind him during a virtual hearing, which everyone saw.

•  The Gazette reported that the rule-making body for judicial discipline cases has yet to adopt permanent protocols after voters amended the state constitution a year ago.

Heard on appeal

•  The state’s Court of Appeals concluded Colorado law doesn’t recognize a plaintiff’s claim that a defendant’s conduct required them to spend money to monitor the potential health effects of toxic chemical exposure.

•  The Court of Appeals sided against former lawmaker and Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights author Douglas Bruce in his trip-and-fall lawsuit.

•  A Denver police officer and the city itself aren’t immune from being sued after the officer hit a scooter rider at an intersection.

•  The Court of Appeals reversed a Fremont County judge’s sanction on the district attorney’s office, concluding she penalized the prosecution for failing to disclose police reports that don’t exist.

•  A Denver judge let a criminal defendant represent himself without ascertaining whether the man had an understanding of his case, the Court of Appeals found in ordering a new trial.

•  A Denver judge violated a defendant’s constitutional right to a public trial by kicking out observers during the entirety of jury selection.

•  One member of the Court of Appeals asked the Colorado Supreme Court to clarify when convicted defendants can ask judges to return property seized by law enforcement.

In federal news

•  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit confirmed that a financial incentive available to lawyers who prevail against the government in civil cases also extends to successful challenges to immigration detention.

•  The 10th Circuit concluded Denver police officers unconstitutionally searched a man after wrongly believing someone in his friend group was a shooting suspect.

•  A 10th Circuit judge defended his precedent-setting decision about how trial judges should re-sentence probation violators, potentially to ward off full-court review of the decision.

•  A lawyer terminated from a Jefferson County special district may pursue her claim of First Amendment retaliation after all, the 10th Circuit concluded.

• A federal judge blocked Colorado’s 2024 law requiring certain social media platforms to inform users under 18 about the potentially dangerous effects of social media use.

•  A federal judge cross-examined a lawyer quite thoroughly for submitting a filing with faulty case citations.

Vacancies and appointments

•  Applications are due by Nov. 18 to succeed La Plata County Court Judge R. Reid Stewart and San Juan County Court Judge Anthony D. Edwards in their respective roles, after the governor recently appointed both to other positions.

Miscellaneous proceedings

•  The Colorado Supreme Court’s Civil Rules Committee advanced a rule change that would make it easier for tenants to learn about and respond to their landlord’s eviction complaint.

•  The judge in the second murder prosecution of Barry Morphew has limited pretrial publicity in the high-profile case.

•  Boulder and Jefferson counties are holding a warrant clearance event this weekend. See the flyer below for details: